DJI has unveiled Smart Controller, a new drone controller with a built-in ultra-bright 1000cd/m2 5.5-inch Full HD screen. The display, which is around double the brightness of a smartphone LCD, eliminates the need to use a mobile device when piloting DJI drones.

The Smart Controller's ultra-bright display is designed to be usable in direct sunlight, according to the company. The controller supports drones featuring DJI's OcuSync 2 video transmission system, including the Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro. The Smart Controller's physical controls were optimized for DJI's drones.

Other Smart Controller features include a 2.5-hour battery life, support for operating in temperatures as low as -20C / -4F and as high as 40C / 104F, automatic switching between 2.4Ghz and 5.8GHz wireless connections, transmissions up to 4.9 miles / 8km, detachable control sticks, and an integrated microphone and speaker. The Smart Controller's built-in HDMI port enables video playback at up to 4K/60fps with H.264 and H.265.

At the software level, the controller's customizable Android dashboard includes support for the DJI GO 4 and Pilot apps, as well as SkyTalk for livestreaming and select other third-party apps. With DJI GO-Share, imagery viewed on the Smart Controller can be directly transferred to a tablet or smartphone.

DJI will begin selling its new Smart Controller in early 2019 for $649 USD. Consumers will also have bundle options featuring the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom drones.

I wonder whether you lose control capability of your drone when Go4 crashes with this new device. At least when I was flying my Mavic Pro with my DJI tested and approved phone, every time the App crashed, the remote control and its telemetry continued to work and I remained in control while waiting for the Android app to restart. That happened about 55 times in 50 flights before I went back to using an unapproved phone on which the app rarely crashed. The Go4 App is needed for various settings and remote camera view but is not required to safely fly the drone but the controller certainly is.

You do not need the Go 4 app running to fly the drone, this controller is no different. They are separate processes. The drone also automatically returns home even if the whole remote were to die. I have never experienced a crash in my life flying on both iOS and Android, and have only read about it happening a handful of times. I don't believe it is a common occurrence.

DualSystemGuy says "have only read about it happening a handful of times."

Maybe read my prior post. Go4 app crashed more than once per flight over 50 flights. More than once on several flights and my phone was fully optimized and configured solely for flying.

DJI listed my LG V20 as supported and it did in fact work, albeit unreliably, until OS updated to 7 and no longer worked at all and I started using an LG G4 running Android 6. The V20 is no longer listed as supported my older G4 never was, but works.

How do you know that a crash of Go4 on an integrated controller won't bring down the controller as well. They are separate functions using a controller-phone combination but a CrystalSky runs Android and a crashing app can bring down a controller sharing OS services.

Ie CrystalSky with Inspire requiring a total reboot; worse than needing to restart a crashed app:

A balanced approach is needed, there are plenty of other model aircraft being flown by hobbyists , some quite large and potentially more dangerous than most drones given they carry fuel tanks etc. However most pilots are law abiding and fly responsibly.

Banning will not stop illegal use and that is where the problem lies. Licensing will only capture the pilots who fly responsibly for the most part.

Are you for real, ie a drone flyer?You need a drone to to gain experience enough to sit and pass or gain permission for PfCO..What is required is stricter punnishment for those idiots who missuse or fly drones illegally..

Did you even bother to do any research on the incidents? Nobody can even confirm if it was a drone. Nobody can seem to get a picture of it. Just a few vague descriptions of what people think they saw.

The Gatwick incident was a Police drone LOL

Drones are like firearms or drugs or anything else - it's the irresponsible people causing problems, and making them illegal or banning them or whatever you're going to do has zero effect on that crowd who is going to do it anyway.

DualSystemGuy:"The Gatwick incident was a Police drone LOL" - citation please. No, because that's just nonsense."Drones are like firearms or drugs or anything else" - so drones are like anything else? In most civilised countries firearms are strictly controlled, and buyers require licences. Drugs - I don't see any relevance there.

Guys - read my comment, where did I suggest banning anything? I simply want drone ownership regulated (and yes that should include model aircraft). In a world where you need to have passed a test to drive a car or own a shotgun, and where that car or shotgun is registered to you, what is the problem with applying those same criteria to drones?

"Some of the sightings of drones which kept Gatwick Airport on shutdown may have involved the police's own craft, a senior officer has admitted."

Again, none of these 'sightings' are ever confirmed, detailed, or photographed.

You said you were "horrified" yet cannot produce any definitive evidence whatsoever it was a consumer drone that caused the disruption. To feel so strongly about something would you not want proof? I certainly would.

“You mean large, civilized first world countries like the USA..”“Large” – What, like the size of a country has a bearing on its ethical or moral standing?“Civilised” – I meant countries that don’t blame the murder of children on the fact that the teachers weren’t armed.

“Can you post your source proving definitively that it was a drone?” You’re saying it was a ‘Police drone’, but there wasn’t a drone. You might be taking this ‘DualSystem’ thing a bit too literally.

Rte is a virulently anti-British organisation (with good reason – Ireland has a genuine grievance). There is not one British media outlet that supports either of your contradicting claims (no drone / police drone).Not one report, in any British newspaper claims that this was a ‘police drone’ or that there was no drone.

“Police received 115 reports of sightings in the area, including 92 which have been confirmed as coming from "credible people", said Mr York.” – From your rte source.

Another thing I think is not being considered is that lots of first responders use drones, and the Mavic 2 in particular has an "enterprise" version specifically designed for jobs like search & rescue (loud speakers, IR camera, search light, etc). The time saved with a built in display vs. fumbling with your phone can literally make all the difference in a life & death scenario, even if it's only a minute or two. Obviously that won't apply to all situations, but it's a really nice option to have available.

I got the new 9.7" ipad for $250 a few weeks ago (xmas sale) but it's so darn heavy (for web browsing/FB and probably heavy and awkward on a drone controller too). I would have bought the mini but it's a couple CPU generations older. I surmise the mini fits nicely in the hand.

Yep, I thought that was the case. I read you need 3rd party adaptor to use 9.7" on Mavics and pretty sur eI read 9.7" works on Phantoms. It would be awkward I think regardless (9.7" ipad is so large and heavy compared to the controller).I don't own a laptop and my kindle is old, so I figured I needed something for web browsing (besides my aging desktop computer) anyhow. Hopefully it'll work on whatever drone I end up with and/or I'll upgrade to another android phone..

If guns and cars and knives and all sorts of similar things that regularly kill people haven't been banned yet, it's hard to imagine drones will be. I can see restrictions tightening though, which is what most drone pilots want, to reduce irresponsible flyers from causing problems.

@imager of: I can't disagree. The latest fiasco involves one of the busiest airports in the world, London Heathrow, being brought to a halt today by yet another suspected drone sighting, following the recent Gatwick alleged sighting. I've been flying quads and hexas for many years now, carefully and responsibly, but I can't honestly see a long future lifetime for amateur drone use, and would expect serious new restrictions on the horizon. If so, good.

They (drone pilots) are coming under more pressure in the UK following the Gatwick Airport shutdown over Christmas. Plus just this evening Heathrow airport was shut for an hour due to a 'drone sighting'. They might not be banned but heavy legislation on there use, huge fines and long jail terms if breaking air laws will be in order - at least I hope so.

Funny how nobody can ever confirm these sightings :) They are just 'suspected' drones. Wasn't the Gatwick drone fiasco not even a drone at all, or a police drone or something like that? I've read so many different things, but I don't live in the UK so I am sure I don't have the best information.

@DualSystemGuyIt's also funny that a sale of large stake in ownership of the airport followed right after. Something just seems funny about it and they can't tell for sure that there was a drone. Where are the security cameras?If this was real, there would be plenty of footage out there.

How much does a small outdoor TV cost? I think they are 1000 nits.I felt Futaba; etc should have come out with displays (on transmitters) like this eons ago (before "RTF" drones)...they still should on most transmitters for FPV. Ridiculous how poor the Tx displays are.

Screen res? Hopefully it does at least 480i. The HDMI port encodes video? That's a new port feature. Is it in or out or bi-directional? Direct sharing with tablets? .By transferring SD card? Bluetooth? To tablets with HDMI in? To iOS?What Android version? Does the OS include a report to China feature hidden from the user? Is there GPS built in? Can you defer Go4 updates until safe? Can you power/charge it externally while operating it?

I've run a DJI Mavic Pro since Feb 2017. The Go4 app reported dara usage during periods I hadn't flown the drone. Initially I dealt with it by force stopping the App when done flying and after phone reboot. I later acquired a phone with no data plan dedicated to drone and Canon/Nikon camera control. WiFi router connectivity stays off and it is reliable and stable. As I only fly line of sight, there is no issue with not having a live geographic map of the drone and can use my regular connected phone without the app as a backup for location info.

I did once buy a connected LG V20, swappable battery and micro SD card slot, for Go4 because it was on DJI's published compatibility list but it crashed each and evey flight I ever made with the drone despite it being in developer mode with USB debugging on with a bare minimum number of apps installed. The bird is pretty good but I wouldn't trust the company.

@ junk1 - Why is it odd that they be on Android? It is an extremely stable system and very flexible for custom applications. In fact major car manufacturers such as VW/Audi have chosen Android specifically to underpin their entire lineup's entertainment system - stability would be a primary concern for them no doubt.

Very interesting. Would love to not have to use my phone and this gives a much quicker and easier setup. But I do wonder, since it's powered by Android, when will it become obsolete? How few years can it be used before it won't be Android upgradable and, with that, not be able to use the latest DJO GO app?

The Crystal Sky displays are locked down to only run the DJI GO app. There is no more risk of it becoming obsolete whether it runs iOS, Android, or any other OS. That has nothing to do with it. If one day their app requires much more powerful hardware to run, that could be an issue many years down the road, but the requirements are much less for a device designed to only run a single app. I think you'd be replacing the drone long before the hardware was incapable of running the App. Also, you can always use older versions of the app, so there would never be a scenario where you couldn't use this combination.

The display alone is $469 (you can buy the crystal sky displays separate) - the premium for the controller is actually very reasonable (under $200), and it will be discounted significantly when bundled with the drone. A stock replacement controller on it's own without the display is $300 USD so they are offering a substantial savings. They are giving you $769 worth of hardware, plus integrating it all for you, for only $649. Bundled with the drone it will probably only be a $400-500 premium or so which will be a steal if true.

The value is that is it A) built in and B) 1000cd/m2 which is miles ahead of any smartphone brightness, allowing you to get in the air faster and use it in direct sunlight. If your personal usage does not get value from that, by all means stick with the regular controller and smartphone, nothing wrong with that either.

The key word here is it's not good value *for you*. Lots of people are very excited for these, and the full-price dedicated crystal sky displays are very popular and much more expensive. Having it built in will be fantastic for those who want it. It's much more than just a tiny display - it's larger than most smartphones, MUCH brighter than any smartphone, and built-in to the controller. It's also locked down to only run DJI GO 4 for added stability and reliability.

In my experience flying drones in the sun, that can easily mean the difference between being able to see the screen or not, which can mean being able to fly the drone or not. In my opinion that is quite significant. There are other workarounds but they aren't always convenient or available.

I'm surprised at how cheap it is. The 5.5" crystal sky display alone is $469 USD, so to get the entire controller along with it for hardly any more is great. Also it will be available as a bundle with the drone for an even bigger discount. Going to pre-order this ASAP as I personally prefer these to mobile devices.

Bundled with the drone it's only a $400 premium which makes it much cheaper than a dedicated 5.5" Crystal Sky display and cheaper than most people's phones. Nice to have the option, anyway, for those who want something visible in direct sunlight or just for convenience / time saving. Battery life is also significantly increased from the standard controller, and you don't have to worry about your phone having a charge too :) Looks like you also get 2 more customizable buttons and the HDMI-out is handy.

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